Compact



June 5, 1945. E L 2,377,717

COMPACT Filed Aug. 25-, 1944 Patented June 5, 1945 COMPACT. I Alfred F.Reilly, North Attleboro, Mass, assignor to Evans Case Company,

North Attleboro,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 25, 1944,Serial No. 551,212 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-31) The invention relatesespecially to omp of the kind commonly used by ladies to containcosmetics. A purpose of the invention is to provide such a compact orother receptacle, the outer portion of which is made of a plasticproperly held in place by frictional engagement on a metallic frame. Anysuitable plastic. may be used and it may be plain or ornamented,transparent, translucent, opaque or mixed. metal may be used in theframe but silver isespeciall adapted to the invention. r l

The members are hinged. together .so that the compact may be opened, andit has been found that if the edges of the plastic of the two membersengage and press on one another as the compact is opened there is atendency for the plastic to be forced away from its seat on the metalframe, the frictional engagementnot being sufficient to withstand suchpressure. A purpose of the present invention is to avoid this by Anysuitable ed part l2 of the collar ll. There is sufficient elasticity inthe collar II and the plastic member 16 so that the plastic member maybe-forced on and seat against the annular portion ID, the

, plastic member being' forced past the curvel2 of the collar so thatthe ring {18 will seat itself providing a member intervening. betweenthe frame and the plastic associated with the hinge so formed, placedand arranged as to take ,upon

itself any stresses and so relieve the plastic and insure its staying inplace on the frame.

Without limiting the. invention, it will be described with reference .tothe accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment thereof.Figure 1 is a top plan view of a closed compact. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryvertical section of an open compact on the, line 2 2 of .Fig- 1. Fig. 3is a fragmentary plan view of ,the face of a plastic member engaging themetallic plate.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5is a fragmentary plan view of the metallic member showing the hinge andthe intervening member.

The compact consists of two members. That marked A may be referred to asthe top member and that marked B as the bottom member. Each member ismade up of a metal frame and a plastic member or cover. Each member hasa metal frame member l shown as annular in form and provided at itsinner edge or periphery with an upstanding collar 1 I having at itsupper edge a rounded member I2. Below the rounded member 12 is aninwardly extending groove I in the collar. Associated with this is anouter hollow plastic cover member [6 which has an annular surface I1corresponding generally to the annular plate member ID. The plasticmember has an inner wall having at its edge an inwardly extending rim orrib I8 corresponding generally to-the groove I5 and an outwardlycurvedportion is corresponding generally to the roundin the groove l5 asindicated. clearlyin Fig. 2.

This positioning will give a moreor less frictional hold to keep theouter member. 16 in 'placewith its annular surface H in contact, withthe plate l0. r

The two annular plates] Ill may be hinged together in anyusual manner,for instance by means of outer portions 21 curled into tubes on one ofthe plates l0. Between the members 2'! may be fitted a similar coiledtube-like member 28 carried by the, other plate H]. A pin 29 may bepassed through'the tube members 21 and 28 plastic members in place, if,the compact is opened, there may be a tendency for'the plastic,

members to press against each other as the opening progresses, and thispressure may tend to force the plastic members from frictionalengagementwith their seat and so disrupt the structure. In order toavoid this disrupting pressure of the interengaging plastic members,means are provided for keeping the plastic members from coming incontact with each other during rriovement at the hinge. For instance,there may be provided members or plates 20 extending radially across theannular plates Ill and curving upwardly slightly and extending partiallyover the hinge itself. As indicated in Fig. 2, the ends of these plates20 abut when the hinge is open and prevent the plastic members fromcoming into engagement with each other.

In order to make this operation more sure, the outer contour of theplastic members themselves may be straight orflattened slightly asindicated at 2| adjacent the hinge connection.

with each other.

As shown in Fig. 2, the relieving members 20 underlie the plastic andmay even extend slightsnugly against the annular rings it throughout theentire circumference. In order to allow of this, adjacent the plates 20and to provide properroom for the intervening plates 20, the innersurface of the plastic members themselves may be cut out as indicated at22 in Figs. 3 and 4 to snugly fit the plates 20. The plastic members maybe similarly cut out slightly as at 23 to receive the hinge portions 21and also may be a little further out out in the center as at 24 toreceive the upwardly turned ends of the plates 20 which overlie thehinge. This construction makes it possible to have a neat appearance, inwhich the hinge members are nearly invisible when the compact is closedas indicated in Fig. 1. This will provide a; neat appearance to the"compact which may seem to be made substantially entirely of the exposedplastic although the edges of the metal members may show. There are novisible rivets, screws, etc. to interfere with the regular attractiveappearance of the device.

, In order to hold the compact closed there may be provided the usualcatch 25"- of. any suitable character.

The compact is shown circular-in form but this is not essential to allaspects of the invention. The metal frame members or plastic members, orboth, may be made of other shapes and sizes.

The plastic outer members may be larger or smaller than the framemembers In and various other variations'in the construction andoperation may be present in structures embodying the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1'. In a compact, a top member comprising a relatively flat annularplate, a circular plastic member covering the plate and held in place byfriction and flattened slightly atone part of its circumference, abottom member comprising, a relatively flat annular plate, a circularplastic membe'r' Covering the bottom plate and held in place by frictionand flattened slightly at one part'of its circumference, a hingeconnecting the plates at their-flattened portions; and members on theplates in recesses in the plastic members and having their endsextending to the edges of the flattened portionsand partially over thehinge and engaging when the hinge is open.

2 In a compact, a top member comprising a relatively flat plate,aplastic member covering the plate and held in place by friction, abottom member comprising a relatively flat'plate, a plastic membercovering the bottom plate and held in place by friction, a hingeconnecting the plates at their outer edges; and members on the plates inrecesses. in the plastic members and having their ends extending to theedges of the plastic [50 circumference, a bottom'member comprising arelatively flat annular plate, a circular plastic member covering thebottom plate and held in place by friction and flattened slightly at onepart of its circumference, a hinge connecting the plates at theirflattened portions, and members between the plates and the plasticmembers at the flattened portions. preventing the plastic members fromengaging each other when the hinge is open.

4. In a compact, a top member comprising a relatively flat plate, aplastic member covering the plate and held in place by friction, abottom member comprising a relatively fiat plate, a plastic membercovering the'bottom plate and held in place by friction, a hingeconnecting the plates, and members between the plates and the plasticmembers preventing the plastic members from engaging each other when thehing isopen.

place by friction and flattened slightly at onepart of itscircumference, ahinge connecting the plates at their flattened portions,and means associated with the hinge holding the plastic" members fromcontact with eachother as'the compactopens;

'6. In a. compact, a top member-comprising a relatively flat annularplate, .a circular plastic member covering the plate and held in placeby friction and flattened slightly at one part ofv its circumference, abottom member comprising a relatively fiat annular plate, acircularplastic member covering the bottom plate and held in place byfriction and flattened slightly at one part of its circumference, ahinge connecting the plates at their flattened portions; and meansassociated with the hinge holding the plasticmembers out of contact witheach other when the compact-is open.

7. In a compact, a top member comprising a relatively fiat plate, aplastic member covering the plate and held in place by friction, abottom member comprising arelatively flat plate, a plastic membercovering the bottom plate and held in place by friction, a hingeconnecting the plates, and means associated with the hinge keeping theplastic members out of contact when the compact is opened.

ALFRED F. REILLY.

